More Than One-Third Of Americans Take A Medication That Has Depression As Potential Side Effect
The side effect was well known in some of the drugs, but to see it listed on others was a surprise, the study's authors say. The topic of suicide and depression has been thrust into the spotlight following two celebrity deaths and a startling CDC report last week.
Los Angeles Times:
Are Prescription Medications Making Americans Depressed?
The incidence of depression has been rising in the U.S. for more than a decade. So has Americans’ reliance on prescription medications that list depression as a possible side effect. Coincidence? Perhaps not, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Using 10 years of data collected from more than 26,000 Americans, researchers reported a significant link between the use of medications with the potential to cause depression and the chances of becoming depressed. (Kaplan, 6/12)
Sacramento Bee:
Here’s What The Suicide Epidemic Looks Like In California
Nearly 4,300 Californians killed themselves in 2016, a 50 percent increase from 2001, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The suicide rate rose from 8.2 suicides per 100,000 residents to 10.9 suicides per 100,000 residents over the same time period. (Reese, 6/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Psychedelic Drugs Change Brain Cells In Ways That Could Help Fight Depression, Addiction And More
sychedelic drugs’ mind-expanding properties may be rooted in their ability to prompt neurons to branch out and create new connections with other brain cells, new research has found. This discovery may explain why psychedelic drugs appear to be a valuable treatment for a wide range of psychiatric diseases, scientists said. In test tubes as well as in rats and flies, psychedelic drugs as diverse as LSD, ecstasy, psilocybin and ketamine all share this knack for promoting neural “plasticity,” the ability to forge new connections (called neurites) among brain cells. In particular, the drugs appeared to fuel the growth of dendritic spines and axons, the appendages that brain cells of all sorts use to reach out in the darkness and create connections, or synapses, with other brain cells. (Healy, 6/12)